All photos courtesy Ted and Elsie Crawford. Inset image of their wedding day, 4 March 1967.
Lifetimes of Service TED & ELSIE’S STORY Story by Ted Crawford. Edited by Tim Houghton. For many years MAF New Zealand has “punched above its weight” in sending missionaries to serve overseas. But what has prepared so many Kiwis to successfully adapt to life on the mission field? It is fascinating to see the foundations of family, church and hard work that were established in Ted Crawford’s life from the earliest years, and which helped prepare him for missionary service with MAF. Ted recalls: I can remember it as if
it happened yesterday. I was nine years old. I had just cycled home when Dad asked me, “What do you want to become when you leave school?” Without thinking I answered, “Oh, either a farmer or a preacher.” I pondered my answer. Where on earth had that idea come from? My parents were both active Christians—but me, a preacher? Looking back, I can see that God was giving me a nudge in a direction pg 2
that I had never ever considered. I was born at home in Remuera, Auckland in 1936, just seven months after King Edward the VII came to the throne of England, but a small farm in Kumeu was home for the first 16 years of my life.
A strong family upbringing Both Mum and Dad were good examples for me in each and every way. Dad was a very skilled woodworker who worked hard to
